Assessment of Fair Housing City of Burlington, Vermont August 18, 2017
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DRAFT Assessment of Fair Housing City of Burlington, Vermont August 18, 2017 1 Table of Contents I. Cover Sheet ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 II. Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 5 III. Community Participation Process ............................................................................................................... 8 IV. Assessment of Past Goals and Actions ...................................................................................................... 13 V. Fair Housing Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 23 A. Demographic Summary ............................................................................................................................... 23 B. General Issues ................................................................................................................................................ 38 i. Segregation/Integration .................................................................................................................. 38 ii. Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAPs) ........................................ 48 iii. Disparities in Access to Opportunity .......................................................................................... 49 a. Educational Opportunities .............................................................................................. 51 b. Employment Opportunities ........................................................................................... 56 c. Transportation Opportunities ........................................................................................ 61 d. Access to Low Poverty Neighborhoods....................................................................... 67 e. Access to Environmentally Healthy Neighborhoods ................................................. 71 f. Patterns in Disparity to Opportunity ............................................................................. 74 iv. Disproportionate Housing Needs ............................................................................................... 76 C. Publicly Supported Housing Analysis ........................................................................................................ 83 D. Disability and Access Analysis ................................................................................................................... 93 E. Fair Housing Enforcement, Outreach Capacity, and Resources ........................................................ 100 F. 1,250 Units or Fewer Winooski Housing Authority Insert .................................................................. 104 VI. Fair Housing Goals and Priorities ............................................................................................................ 131 Due to formatting and edits for publication, the current table of contents may not match current page numbers. This will be finalized and corrected at publication. 2 I. Cover Sheet 1. Submission date: [insert] 2. Submitter name: City of Burlington, VT 3. Type of submission: Joint Submission – City of Burlington, Vermont, Burlington Housing Authority and the Winooski Housing Authority 4. Type of program participant(s): Consolidated Plan Participants and Public Housing Authority 5. For PHAs, Jurisdiction in which the program participant is located: City of Burlington, VT 6. Submitter members (if applicable): City of Burlington, Vermont, Burlington Housing Authority and the Winooski Housing Authority 7. Lead submitter contact information: a. Name: Marcy Esbjerg b. Title: Assistant Director c. Department: Community & Economic Development Office d. Street address: 149 Church Street, Room 32 e. City: Burlington f. State: Vermont g. Zip code: 05401 8. Period covered by this assessment: 2017 - 2022 9. Initial, amended, or renewal AFH: Initial Assessment 10. To the best of its knowledge and belief, the statements and information contained herein are true, accurate, and complete and the program participant has developed this AFH in compliance with the requirements of 24 C.F.R. §§ 5.150-5.180 or comparable replacement regulations of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; 3 11. The program participant will take meaningful actions to further the goals identified in its AFH conducted in accordance with the requirements in §§ 5.150 through 5.180 and 24 C.F.R. §§ 91.225(a)(1), 91.325(a)(1), 91.425(a)(1), 570.487(b)(1), 570.601, 903.7(o), and 903.15(d), as applicable. All Joint and Regional Participants are bound by the certification, except that some of the analysis, goals or priorities included in the AFH may only apply to an individual program participant as expressly stated in the AFH. (Signature Page) 4 II. Executive Summary Summarize the fair housing issues, significant contributing factors, and goals. Also include an overview of the process and analysis used to reach the goals. The City of Burlington, in cooperation with the Burlington and Winooski Housing Authorities present this Assessment of Fair Housing for our jurisdiction and region. The Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) is a legal requirement that the City and Housing Authorities must complete in order to continue receiving federal housing and community development funding from the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The AFH is an analysis undertaken pursuant to 24 CFR Part 5.152 that includes an analysis of fair housing data, an assessment of housing issues and contributing factors, and identification of fair housing priorities and goals specific to Burlington and our surrounding area. Examples of fair housing issues include local and regional demographics related to segregation, racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, access to opportunity, disproportionate housing need, publicly supported housing, accesses to housing by persons with disabilities, and fair housing enforcement. For purposes of this document, the City is considered Burlington, Vermont, a jurisdiction in receipt of both Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds. The Region, by HUD definition, is considered Chittenden, Grand Isle and Franklin Counties. The document includes a section on community participation and outreach, a review of past goals and progress, a fair housing analysis covers demographics for both the City and the Region, an analysis of data and contributing factors to fair housing issues, disparities in access to opportunity, disproportionate housing needs, publicly supported housing analysis, and an analysis of our community’s fair housing outreach and enforcement. The Assessment concludes with recommendations, goals and clear metrics for the City and its partners to affirmatively further fair housing. The City of Burlington used a multi-faceted approach to meaningful community participation. The City and partners conducted outreach to gain comments, concerns and feedback on fair housing issues. An in-depth housing and neighborhood survey was developed and distributed in multiple languages, including a direct mailing to Burlington Housing Authority residents. Several focus groups and interviews were held with protected classes and/or agencies who serve protected classes. Attendance at public events such as Martin Luther King, Jr Day, World Refugee Day and Here to Help Clinics provided opportunities to specifically engage protected classes. Once a draft of the Assessment of Fair Housing was complete, several public meetings, hearings and media outreach was conducted to gain feedback on the proposed AFH. The progress on the five key goals established in the City's 2010 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing is carefully reviewed. The first impediment concerned high rental and homeownership prices impacted people in protected classes and the goal to encourage more affordable housing. Along with policy improvements, collaborative initiatives, almost 300 affordable units have been 5 either preserved or built in the past 5 years. The second impediment stated some housing professionals' policies and practices limited housing options for protected classes. Progress under this goal included outreach and educational efforts both towards professionals as well as classes specifically geared to assist low income individuals and families gain success as renters and homeowners. Under the third impediment, the City has taken extensive measures to document and measure fair housing challenges and progress to justify needed funding for fair housing efforts in Burlington and the region. Continued awareness, education and enforcement activities are key to ensuring discrimination against people in protected classes by real estate and other housing professionals does not go undetected. Under the fourth impediment, goals and progress to ensure an adequate supply of homes available and accessible to populations of those with disabilities, frail elders and larger families is examined; new units for seniors have been constructed, units with 3+ bedrooms have been included in new affordable housing developments and investments in the Homeshare program continue. In addition, the SASH program (Support and Services at Home) for seniors has become a standard practice for service